Bad games, you can’t escape them. They are everywhere and it’s not going to stop. Thank god we have things called bargain bins all across stores who sell them. So what do you have to do to get into the bargain bin?

1. Get bad to mediocre reviews2. Cost to around ten bucks3. Be poorly made.

Today I will be talking about one of those games. This so-called bargain bin game is called Virtual on Marz for the Playstation 2. Warning! This is a VERY bad game so expect to see more bad things then good things about this game. Before I start with the story, I just wanted to say that the Virtual On series is mostly known on in the arcades and on the Sega Dreamcast. The story of this game is rather small and just confusing. So basically, there is some bad stuff going down. Some evil force is causing the ruckus, and it is up to the task force MARZ and their 49-foot robots to stop what ever is happening and save the planet.

The game was published by Sega and made by a separate team called Sega-AM3, which is famous for making games like Virtua Tennis, Crazy Taxi, and of course the Virtual On series. I have to say again I do like a lot of Sega made/published games, but it just seems like they don’t care anymore about what happens with their products. I wish they took as much care with their games now, like they did in the 16-bit days.The game play style is of a strategy fighter, kind of like Batallion Wars and Factor 5’s Star Wars Rouge Squadron. You get to pilot multiple kinds of Virtuaroids and take on whatever mission you get put in front of you. Each Virtuaroid is different, like some are better at long range, some are better at short range, and you get the idea. The robots look like something that was out of robot anime shows like Robotech and Early Gundam series. The music in the game is of the techno-pop variety, like you would hear in games like Jetgrind Radio or in Dance Dance Revolution games. Most of the time, you will be hovering a couple inches off the ground, depending on which robot you are piloting. This game makes you feel like you’re in one of those robot animes like the ones I listed above.

I’m sorry for this short review, but I just have to get the rest of it out right now. It’s time to get into your robot and pilot the bad parts of the game. The game play can only be listed in one category, REPETITIOUS! It’s the same in every level. Sometimes, they do mix it up a bit, like destroy these trucks and such, but it’s all the same in every mission – it’s so boring. The controls seem to be 95% broken. It’s hard to turn and maneuver through the levels. The camera is also broken. You can only turn it around when you’re standing still. If you try to move it around while you’re running, it moves at a snail’s pace. When you use the boosters on the robot, you can’t turn right or left. For a fast-paced robot game, you really can’t move that fast. The difficulty is just mind-blowing. It’s even worse then Rygar the Legendary Adventure. It can be brutally hard on you through most of the game, and in the blink of an eye, it can be just stupid easy on you. It’s like the game keeps changing the rules. It’s kind of like playing with a spoiled brat who has to win. The graphics just suck. They seem dated by today’s standards, and the Playstation 2 has so much potential with graphics. I mean, look at Metal Gear Solid 3, God of War 2, and Devil May Cry 3. This game looks like a late 90’s arcade game or just a Dreamcast game that was meant for the Dreamcast system, but was put on hold for two years and then released for the Playstation 2. When I was playing the game in the early parts of it, I found out that your weapons could stop working. At first I thought there was limited ammo, but then I found out that there is a charge system, which recharges if you use stronger weapons quickly. In a game that requires you to be fast and dodge fast, this technique just doesn’t work at allAll and all, this has to be one of the worst games I have ever played. Let’s list out why.

All I have to say is if you see this game in a bargain bin somewhere, just let it be. Don’t pick it up, and don’t even think about renting it. Sega, we are begging you to give us good games. Stop screwing around and make us some good games for once!This game gets a 3 out of 10